The mayor of Granadilla, Jennifer Miranda, along with former regional councilor for Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena, expressed their disappointment yesterday as construction work on the La Tejita hotel, being developed by the Viqueria Group, resumed following the latest ruling by the TSJC, despite an agreement in place to purchase the plot for £25 million. Valbuena mentioned that the company was open to revisiting this agreement with the new Government of the Canary Islands.
“I would rather there wasn’t a hotel, but we have received notification from the construction company about the recommencement of work due to multiple legal proceedings and a final verdict,” stated the mayor. “What is evident from these rulings is that the precautionary stoppage order issued by the Government of the Canary Islands through the Environmental Protection Agency is no longer valid.”
Miranda disclosed that the previous regional Executive, under Ángel Víctor Torres, had planned to acquire this plot to halt the construction of the La Tejita hotel. As per her, the negotiations, though advanced, were put on hold with the regional elections. The land’s value, assessed by technicians from the Autonomous Community, stood at £25 million, which the Government aimed to pay over three years (30% in the first year, another 30% in the second year, and 40% in the third year), spanning from 2023 to 2025.
Furthermore, former Minister of Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena, explained on Cadena Ser that the goal was to “purchase and restore to a natural state” the area, citing the hotel’s proximity to a protected natural area that would be impacted over time by rising sea levels. He mentioned that “the company was very willing to come to an agreement” and that “they worked discreetly,” to the extent of including an allocation in the General Budgets of the Autonomous Community for 2023 named Renaturalization of the coastal spaces.
The operation was put on hold due to the regional elections and subsequent change of Government in the Canary Islands. “When we were preparing to finalize the credit modification, our term in office ended, and we couldn’t complete the paperwork,” stated the former councilor.
Currently, the mayor of Granadilla urges the current regional Executive of the Canarian Coalition and the Popular Party not to abandon the idea of purchasing the land. “The stance of the PSOE is clear: if we had the opportunity to prevent the construction of the hotel in the area, we would definitely explore it. If we had a budget of billions like the Government of the Canary Islands, we would contemplate acquiring the plot,” reassured Miranda.
The Viqueira Group has already invested £20 million of the £60 million required for the hotel complex project, featuring 883 beds and known as La Tejita Beach Club Resort.
Viqueira
The Viqueira Group, the developer behind the La Tejita hotel, affirmed yesterday that the construction works, which resumed this Monday, possess all the necessary licenses and permits for the entire plot.
In a statement, the company stated that these works are endorsed by three favorable rulings from the First Section of the Contentious-Administrative Court of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC). They further added that these three judicial decisions by the contentious-administrative chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands “verify the legality of the project” and confirm that the permits are “valid, operational, and authorize its execution.”
The developer asserts that the works have all the requisite legal authorizations for execution on the entire plot and that the approved modification of the boundary does not render the works illegal. Therefore, they maintain that “all doubts are dispelled” regarding any concerns about proceeding with work in the maritime-terrestrial public domain area.
The group asserts that the authorization and planning license aligned with the demarcation of the maritime-terrestrial zone in effect at the time of its final grant in 2018, hence “subsequent demarcations cannot impact the already granted licenses.”
